International Zone
by Capitaine Pickle
Summary: ' ' The drama will be called International Zone. The story is about personified countries who live in the same communal house, da ze! ' ' Enventual UsCa, rated T for now.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Hetalia sad face.

**Random Note:** ... I can't stop myself from using the french version of Matthew's name now, it seems... Must be my Québec pride lol.

**Warning:** Eventual yaoi, UsCa and other couples. Beware of extreme kitschness and drama.

''Speech''

'_'TV speech''_

_Thoughts_

**Enjoy !**

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**International Zone**

Mathieu, most ungracefully spread across his couch, zapped through the channels, face clearly showing disinterest. He seemed only to find commercials and kitschy american soap operas. _Well... _he thought, _I _am_ in the States, so I guess it can't be helped._ He chuckled to himself as he continued to change channels without truly paying attention to what was said anymore.

_''Im Yong Soo !'' _Wild applauds -as well as very loud, girly screams- followed and before they had time to die down, Mathieu had unconsciously changed channel again. He froze. He blinked.

''Wait...'' _Im Yong Soo ?_ He changed the channel back and sat himself straight on his couch. He absolutely admired Im Yong Soo. He was more than excited to see what the young man had in mind this time. Grabbing a cushion and squeezing it tightly in his arms, Mathieu leaned forward, as if afraid of missing anything that was about to be said.

Once Im Yong Soo was seated, the applauds slowly died down. The Korean kept his triumphant smile wide; his eyes were sparkling in excitement. He was slightly fidgeting in his seat, finding hard to stay in place. The middle aged lady seated beside him smiled and politely nodded to him. He quickly returned the gesture enthusiastically. The lady lifted her microphone up to her mouth -Mathieu finally recognized her, she was the animator of the most popular Talk Show in the US; _Chit Chat of Miranda_- and spoke in her calm, low voice.

_''Welcome, Mister Im, and thank you very much for coming to my show.''_ She said warmly. Yong Soo lifted up his own microphone.

_''It's my pleasure, Miranda !'' _

_''Everyone is very eager to hear what great announcement you have to make, mister Im. Would it be too impolite of me to skip the small talk and ask what it is about right away ?''_ Miranda asked in a playful tone earning waves of approving screams and whistles from the crowd.

Mathieu's eyes widened. He looked down to the gossip magazine on the floor. Picking it up, the blond quickly scanned the pages, skipping the boring parts about Lady Gaga or whomever else, and stopped himself at the article dedicated to his idol. The title read: _A secret revealed to Miranda ?_ The page contained a large photo of the Korean -the photogenic man looking just as handsome as always- and a detailed article about his up-coming appearance in the talk show. Mathieu skipped the blabbering to the time and date. He both gasped and squealed excitedly, the mix making a strange sound come out of his mouth. He couldn't believe himself. He had forgotten it was today ! He had been so close to miss it ! The Canadian wanted to slap himself. _No time for penitence, back to the show ! _Throwing the magazine away, Mathieu hugged his cushion again and turned his attention back to the TV.

_''Haha !''_ Yong Soo laughed good naturally. _''It's not, I assure you. I'm actually really excited about this too, da ze !''_

_''You seem very confident about the matter !''_ Miranda laughed. _''Oh, but before going into the details of your announcement-'' _The woman was cut by loud ''boos'' and complains from the public. Mathieu couldn't help but joined them. Miranda did not seem to mind; she had been long enough in the business not to care about it. She only laughed away the complaints and continued once they ceased, her confidence not in the least altered. _''I'm very curious to know why you decided to make it here, in the States. You've always acted in South Korea so far, aside from your numerous concerts around the world.''_ The crowd let out a long 'oh'. Mathieu nodded in understanding. He, too, was curious to know why the man had decided to make his announcement in America.

_''You see...''_ Yong Soo started, trailing off to let his smile widening. He eyes seemed to be glittering in amusement. _''That is directly related to my announcement. I am making a new drama, da ze !''_ Yong Soo exclaimed proudly, letting his arms free to flail around.

''Woohoo !'' Mathieu cried out excitedly, crushing his cushion tightly to his chest. Similar sounds were coming out of the TV as well. He could barely contain his excitement. Yong Soo was simply a genius. He was ridiculously talented in about everything. Yong Soo, the only son of a tremendously rich businessman, had first made his debut as a celebrity as a signer and dancer. He was, until the age of twenty four, the leader of the most popular boys band in Asia -and soon enough, in America as well- he had also released three solo CDs which had been a huge success. He had retired from the music world -to the great dismay of his fans- only to make himself even more popular by being the director -and actor- of three dramas and two movies (BL-centered, mind you; the Korean was quite clear about his sexual preference) which were not much later translated in fifteen different languages. As if this was not enough, it was recently revealed that Im Yong Soo was the author and drawer of two popular Manwha series as well as several yaoi doujinshis under various anonymous names. Although, for the later case, there had been no official confirmation, every single of his fans on the Internet had agreed on the fact that he was the author of those doujinshis. The drawing style and the sheer genius behind the plot line made it undoubted. The Asian was now twenty seven, yet his popularity among the female -and male, of course- population had not diminished in the slightest. The man had kept the liveliness and young spirit that made him just as charismatic as in his early adulthood and his now mature features seemed only to make him more appealing in the eyes of his fans.

People were soon silent again, eager to hear more details about the new series the Asian was planing on doing. _'__'The drama will be called _International Zone_. The story is about personified countries who live in the same communal house. The events, their relationships with each other and their personalities go according to each country's stereotypes, culture and History, da ze !''_ Yong Soo explained with all the enthusiasm he was known for. Miranda nodded, eyebrows high up expressing both surprise and admiration. Mathieu, still glued to his couch, was mirroring the public's reaction. His eyes were sparkling. _Maple, that's so awesome ! I can't wait until it's aired ! _

Encouraged by his admirers' whistles and animated whispers among themselves, Yong Soo continued his explanations. _''There will be time travels here and there, as if the characters were having dreams or memories, providing great variety in both the visual aspects and the plot of the drama, da ze. Furthermore, I want this drama to be as authentic as possible, almost as if it was a reality show but with a script. For this reason, each character will be played by someone from their respective country. The actors will have a certain liberty in their acting, da ze ! Because they will most aware of how their, well, country would react in A or B situation.''_ Yong Soo had a hard time keeping his grin at a reasonable size as he talked, too much aware of his own genius.

_''Your reputation doesn't fail you, mister Im ! That is a very original and innovative idea ! Have you already chosen your actors ?''_

_''I have, da ze !''_ Yong Soo exclaimed excitedly. _''But they're not aware of it yet. It's going to be a surprise ! I have already contact their schools and working places to warn them of their absence...''_ He snickered evilly.

_''Oh ? Why is that ? And what were your criteria when you chose your actors ?'' _Miranda asked, smiling calmly.

_''Because it's a lot more fun that way, da ze !''_ He confessed, laughing out loud. Miranda and the rest of the crowd instantly joined him in his laughter. _''As for the requirements...''_ He continued as he sank back into his seat in a more relaxed position. _''... Well first, they must speak Korean perfectly; the drama will be filmed in South Korea after all and since all the actors come from different countries, they need a common language in which we call all communicate anyways, da ze.''_ He crossed his legs, getting more comfortable as he got more confident about his idea. Not that he had ever doubted his brain, of course. _''They must be good-looking too; a drama wouldn't be a real drama if their characters weren't good-looking, da ze !''_ He chuckled at his own words. _''Finally, they must work, or study, in domains and have hobbies that are typical to their country.''_

_''They are not trained actors ?''_ Miranda asked, surprised.

_''Nope !''_ Yong Soo exclaimed as he sat up straight again, excitement taken the better of him. _''As I said, I want it to be as authentic as possible. It will be better if they've always been versed in the average life of a citizen of their country... well... average is a big word... most of the actors I have chosen are at least already half-celebrities in their respective domains, da ze ! Which is how I managed to I know about them in the first place, haha ! But it's better that way; at least they are not complete strangers to the world of media, da ze.'' _At this, Yong Soo winked and flashed the lady a handsome smile. The woman was unable to suppress the red that then coloured her cheeks. His smile turned into a triumphant grin. Miranda cleared her throat, a little embarrassed.

_''I see, though it might still come as a challenge.''_

_''It makes the whole thing even more interesting, in my opinion, da ze !'' _

_''I expected no other reply from you, mister Im.''_ Miranda chuckled. _''And so you are here because of the american actor you have chosen, I understand ?''_

_''Exactly, da ze ! The main character in _International Zone_ is actually the United States and-''_ Loud, wild cries of enthusiasm and applauds were instantly heard in the TV. The american spectators were glad to hear the news. Once they died down, Yong Soo laughed loudly again and continued. _''I'm also here for Canada.''_ Mathieu blinked at this._ What ?_

_''Canada will be interpreted by an American ?''_ Miranda asked, greatly confused. Wasn't he contradicting himself ?

_''Oh, no no, he is Canadian, only, he has been living in the States for about a year now.''_ Yong Soo chuckled at the public's confusion.

_''This is more and more intriguing ! But Mister Im, aren't you afraid of the controversy that your drama will create ? Especially since most of its characters, who are supposed to represent an entire country, will be homosexual ?''_

_''Well, I admit that I've chosen a very touchy subject and that-''_

At this point, Mathieu wasn't paying attention anymore. His heart was fluttering in what he could only describe as childish and improper excitement. But he simply couldn't help it. He, after all, fit almost perfectly in the Yong Soo's requirements. Born in Montréal, Mathieu was a typical Canadian. He was the son of a francophone mother and anglophone father. He spoke Korean fluently, even though -Mathieu admitted embarrassingly to himself- he had learned it only so that he could be able to listen, watch and read Yong Soo's creations in their original language. This was the extent of Mathieu's admiration for the man and his work. He was also -in his own humble opinion- pretty good-looking as well. On top of that, his... unusual profession had made him move in the States about a year ago. Wasn't this simply fantastic ? Could he be the Canadian that had been chosen for his Idol's newest drama ? Mathieu sighed heavily, forcing a laugh to dismiss the matter. ''Nah... It's impossible. There's no way...'' _Besides,_ he thought, _my work isn't exactly... typical... or is it ?_ Mathieu pondered for a second, but decided to dismiss it again. There was simply no way he was the one. He was fancying a dream that would never come true. He turned his attention back to the TV.

_''And so you will go look for those soon to be actors yourself ?''_ Miranda asked curiously.

_''Yes, I'm leaving tomorrow morning to get the first two, da ze.''_ Yong Soo replied, smiling.

_''What if they refuse ? Do you have several candidates for each character in mind ?'' _

_''Hm...''_ Yong Soo seemed unsure of himself, which was quite an unusual sight to see. _''Well, to be honest, I don't. Not for each of them, at least. But I'm pretty sure they'll all say yes... hopefully.''_ Yong Soo scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

_''I wish you the best luck then, mister Im.''_

_''Thank you, da ze !'' _

_''I'm afraid this is all the time we had. Thank you for watching-''_ She turned to Yong Soo and extended her hand. _''-and thank you again, mister Im, for coming this evening.''_ The two shook hands, accompanied by wild applauds and whistles.

_''Anytime, Miranda.''_ Yong Soo waved to the camera, almost screaming his signature phrase. _''Uri nara mansae !''_

Mathieu turned off the TV, sighing halfheartedly. He was incredibly excited to see the show, but he didn't want to get his hopes to high either; there was just no way that he would be the one selected for the role of Canada and greatly envied whomever would participate in International Zone. Glancing down at his watch, he sighed again. Time to go to work...

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**Note:** HO ZE SUSPENSE !1!1one! You guys must be wondering who will be Canada in _International Zone_, eh ? Oh yes you must. Lololol-shot-

Anyhoo. I hope you like the idea so far. For those who read my other story (Dis Papa), don't worry, I have not given up on it; I have something like 12 pages of chapter 6 written so far. I'm hoping to update sometime this weekend. C8

**PLEASE REVIEW PLEASE REVIEW PLEASE REVIEW PLEASE REVIEW PLEASE REVIEW PLEASE REVIEW PLEASE REVIEW **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Hetalia omgomgomg.

**Warning:** Eventual yaoi, UsCa and other couples. Beware of extreme kitschness and drama.

''Speech''

'_'TV speech or foreign languages depending on the context''_

_Thoughts_

**Enjoy !**

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* * *

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**International Zone**

''Soooo...'' That was the voice of none other than the infamous Alfred F. Jones, chosen for the role of United States. The man -young and quite handsome, mind you- was spread ungracefully on one of the couches inside Yong Soo's private jet. They were now heading toward Las Vegas where the chosen Canada resided. Alfred had been reading the (very abridged) script that had been planned for the show. Although it was only half-planned and that it was to be as natural and as reality-show as possible, Yong Soo had already made it clear that the main plot had been decided in advance. ''... I'm gonna be paired up with England ?'' He asked sceptically, arching a brow at that. Why the hell would his awesome country of justice and freedom pair up with that stupid, stuck-up tea-drinking and queeny country ?

''Da ze !'' Alfred blinked... what ever that had meant, it looked like a positive answer, judging from this enthusiasm the Asian was radiating.

''... Well I hope he's cute.'' He said dismissively, putting the script away. He didn't seem to be bothered by the whole situation. In fact, this was probably the best thing that could have happened to him; not that the American was living a bad life or anything. In fact, the blond had quite the promising future. He had been studying Laws, at Harvard no less, and was the best in his promotion. The American had always wanted to become a great lawyer and put criminals after criminals in jail, like a true hero and fight for the sake of justice ! But more than anything, Alfred also liked adventures and try new things. Staring in a drama, travel, fooling around, you could only do those things while young. When the time came, he would return to his original career. ''So why is that Canadian in Las Vegas, of all places ?'' He asked, getting more curious as they came nearer to the sinful city. He could see the lights through the porthole.

''He's there because of his work.'' Yong Soo replied, smiling.

''Really ? What does he do for a living ?'' He laughed, as he spoke. Professional poker player ? Ha ! Right... A Canadian ? _Let me laugh._

''He's an acrobat.'' Alfred blinked. That had been the last thing he had expected. ''For the Cirque du Soleil.''

''For real ? Wow, awesome.'' Alfred said excitedly. ''What's his name again ?''

''Mathieu Williams.''

''Math-..Matthew ?''

''Mathieu.'' Yong Soo corrected, though he was probably mispronouncing that too.

''Yeah, whatever. What does he look like ?'' Yong Soo blinked. Why was he so interested all of a sudden. ''What ?'' Alfred napped, unnerved, guessing what Yong Soo was thinking. ''I just think it's awesome ! He's gonna be my bro the drama anyways, right ? Might as well at least know his name.''

''I don't know what he looks like, actually...'' Yong Soo sighed, looking through his papers; there was a detailed ID for each actor chosen. He took Mathieu's out and handed it to the American.

''...he's got make-up all over his face.'' He stated dumbly.

''He's quite secretive; you only find pictures of him in his costume and make-up... and there are very few of them too. I couldn't find where he studied, not even his highschool.''

''Didn't you say we had to be good-looking ? What if he's ugly ?'' Yong Soo wanted to slap himself.

''It's not like he has a major role anyways. We won't see him that much in the drama. Canada is a secondary character. Plus he looked cute when he was a kid.'' Alfred stared at him like he was crazy. ''I was able to find his primary school.'' He explained, smiling. Alfred's expression only worsened.

''But why him anyways ?'' Could he just find another random Canadian ?

''I first heard of him through his letters. He's a big fan of mine.'' Yong Soo smiled smugly. ''He learned Korean because of me, so he told me. Isn't that cute, da ze ! I couldn't resist.'' Alfred had to keep himself from laughing at whoever that Matthew was. ''I could never write back to him though; he never wrote his address on the letters. He doesn't seem to like attention.'' He mused aloud.

''And you think he's gonna want to star in a drama ?'' Yong Soo stared, an almost evil smirk on his face.

''I'm sure of it.''

OoOoO

Mathieu had just came out from a well-deserved shower. He had practised and exercised all day long. Although he had been doing this for years, he was still aching from all the stretching and physical training. He lazily put on his polar-bear printed pyjama, then his glasses and started brushing his teeth.

He heard the door of his apartment ring.

_Eh ? Who the hell could that be ?_ He asked himself, quickly spitting out and wiped his mouth. He speed-walked to the door and opened it.

What he saw... what he saw...

''O-oh my... maple-''

''Good evening, da ze ! Are you Mathieu Williams ?'' Mathieu stared at his idol, blue eyes so wide he felt like they were going to explode any minute. He didn't even notice the other young man -who, on the contrary, was literary staring at him with eyes that seemed to be sparkling- that was right behind him. All he could see was Yong Soo. What that an holy halo of light around him ?

He nodded dumbly. He couldn't believe it. Had his prayers been answered ? Had he really been chosen for the show ? Could this be really true indeed ?

''Awesome, da ze ! Nice pyj, by the way !''

''Eh ?'' Mathieu slowly looked down at himself, he felt his face grow warm. So warm it was almost over whelming. Scratch that, not almost. It WAS overwhelming. All this... it was... _wow... darkness... what- ?_

The Canadian fell unconscious to the ground.

OoOoO

''-fred... Alfred... Alfred, da ze !'' Yong Soo cried out, ripping the American out of his revery.

''Huh ?'' They were back in the jet -they had taken the liberty of packing the Canadian's belongings for him and had carried them -along with the still unconscious blond- in the jet. Said blond now was resting on a separate couch, still clad in his ridiculously adorable pyjama, a ridiculously cute expression on his flushed, sleeping face, a ridiculously cute-

''-fred... Alfred ! You're out of it again !'' Yong Soo cried out, annoyed. Alfred snapped out of it again. Indeed, since the very moment his eyes had fallen on the Canadian, he had been unable to look at anything else. Reluctantly, Alfred turned to Yong Soo.

''What is it ?''

''He's Canada, not England.'' Yong Soo warned, voice low. He knew he couldn't control his actor's personal feelings... but to have his main character have this crush on Mathieu... He sighed deeply. They were not trained actors, his feelings would influence his acting for sure ! _Damn me and my crazy ideas ! Of all my actors, it had to be my main character ! Couldn't he have a crush on that English, Arthur ? _What would have been a lot more convenient.

''Wh-what are you talking about ?'' Alfred cried out, face tomato-red. Yong Soo stared, unblinking. He then turned to the sleeping blond and couldn't help but blush a little too. He was a lot cuter than expected. He was still quite young too, he was one the youngest of the crew. His young features only made him look more angelic when framed by those golden hair. He was lean too. _He must be quite flexible from all that circus training... _Yong Soo though smugly, perverted images coming to his mind.

''Hey, stop that !'' Alfred yelled, greatly annoyed by that suspicious expression the Asian bared... while staring at Mathieu no less.

''Stop what ?'' Yong Soo turned to Alfred, confused.

''That look... on your face.'' Alfred said hesitantly. Yong Soo rolled his eyes at that.

''Mhn... nh...'' Alfred instantly turned to the source of those strangely cute noises. _He's waking up ! _Alfred thought excitedly. ''_Where... am I- eh ?_'' Mathieu gasped when he saw Yong Soo staring at him. _So it wasn't a dream ?_ Mathieu stared back, speechless. Alfred frowned, annoyed that Mathieu still wouldn't look at him.

''Slept well ?'' The Asian chuckled. Mathieu blushed and offered his idol a shy smile.

''Yes, thank you...'' He said in a soft voice. He stared at him, eyes sparkling with admiration. He could barely contain his excitement about the drama and still had a hard time believing what was happening.

''Hi, I'm Alfred F. Jones !'' Matthew, startled by the voice, turned to the source of it. He blinked; since when was this man here ? He saw that said stranger was also extending his hand. ''Oh !'' He cried out in realization and embarrassment. He must be the one playing United States ! ''My apologies, I didn't see you there.'' He said with a gentle smile and shook hands with the man, not noticing when the man's face fell ever so slightly at his words.

''No problem !'' He said, keeping his smile as wide as possible. ''So we're going to be bros from now on, right ?'' He said as he got up to sit right next to Mathieu, sliding an arm around the boy's shoulder. ''Might want to start some brotherly bonding now, haha !'' He laughed out loud at his own intelligence. Best excuse ever. Yong Soo rolled his eyes.

''Of course, pleased to meet you, mister Jones. I'm Mathieu Williams.'' Alfred's face froze, his smile now looking silly. He laughed nervously.

''You can just call me Al ! I'm not not some old man...'' He laughed awkwardly again. Up close like this, Alfred saw the the boy looked quite young. His voice too, was young. ''I'm twenty two, you ?'' He asked casually, though dreading the answer. It didn't help that Young Soo was chuckling evilly to himself.

''I'm seventeen.'' He smiled politely, oblivious to the strange atmosphere going on. On the inside, Alfred was panicking. _H-he's underage ? Noooo ! _Yong Soo, quite easily reading through Alfred's thoughts, rolled his eyes. Again.

''Oh. You're pretty young.'' He stated.

''Hahaha...'' Mathieu laughed awkwardly, not sure about how to take this. ''Hm... so...'' He turned his attention back to Yong Soo, much to the dismay of a certain Alfred Fitzgerald Jones. ''Are we heading for another country to fetch someone else ?'' He asked, tone light and lively at the same time.

Alfred Pouted.

OoOoO

The next day, after they had rested for the night -in some five stars hotel, of course- the three young men walked through the streets of Paris. Neither north Americans had visited the place before, but the youngest of them seemed quite a lot more interested in what he was seeing than the older one. Rather, the older one's attention wasn't quite directed towards the many buildings around him, but on the admirer if them.

''It's so much more wonderful than I imagined ! Documentaries and movies really don't do justice to this city, do they Alfred ?'' He turned to his fictional brother.

''Huh ? Ehm... uh...'' Taken aback by the sudden question, Alfred found nothing more intelligent to say. ''Yeah.'' He shot him his thousand watt smile, hoping it would lessen the stupidity factor. To Yong Soo, however, it only made it worse. Mathieu smiled, again, not finding anything odd, and fastened up his pace to catch up with Yong Soo.

''Where are we heading ?'' He asked casually, still feeling funny about having such a conversation with THE Im Yong Soo. Alfred growled, quickly catching up to them as well.

''There !'' The Asian replied, pointing toward some old, but very well-kept building. On its facade was a huge, fancy sing. It read: Parfumerie Bonnefoy. ''That's where we'll find our man, da ze !''

And thus, with those glorious words, the three of them entered the boutique. Upon entrance -making the little bell ring-, they were instantly blinded by the bright sparkly lights reflecting on hundreds of crystal-like bottles filled with exquisite perfumes. Then were then greeted by a suave-

''Bonjour~''

-from a fine looking man, striking them -some sort of- a sensual pose, red rose in hand.

_''Welcome, my beautiful la-''_ The man topped dead, eyeing them suspiciously. _''You're not ladies...''_ He stated with an unreadable tone that went from confused, to annoyed, to mocking, to-

''Huh?'' Alfred stared.

_''Hi''_ Mathieu said, chuckling lightly as he stepped closer to the main counter behind which the Bonnefoy stood. _''Unfortunately, we're not.''_

_''Ah, you're from Québec !''_ The French beamed, shaking hands with the younger francophone. _''I love your accent.''_ The man added, smiling charmingly at the boy.

Alfred stared at the scene in front of him, biting lightly on his lower lip in annoyance. He didn't get anything of what was going on and he certainly didn't like that.

_''Thank you.''_ Matthew smiled back, then turned to Yong Soo as the latter stepped forward.

''Mister Bonnefoy, let me introduce myself; my name is Im Yong Soo.''

OoOoO

It didn't take much insistence to convince the Frenchman to join the crew. The man seemed already prone to attention whore-ish tendencies and, as he so bluntly put, 'would never let the world miss the chance of admiring his beauty'. That settled, Francis only had to announce to his apprentice -a young man almost as frivolous as him- that he would take of his precious shop for the time being. Not long after that, Francis Bonnefoy joined the group in the jet with a ridiculous amount of luggage at hands.

Yon Soo, eyeing his soon-to-be actors as they conversed with each other, was quite satisfied with the turn of events so far; all the candidates seemed absolutely perfect for their respective roles. At that, he snorted to himself. Of course they were, as if his judgement for such a thing could be doubtful. He could smell the success coming. Oh yes he could.

''-then my father remarried with a Korean when I was about six. That's how I learned the language.'' Francis explained to the french-Canadian, sipping from a glass of one he had conveniently fetch himself from the minibar in the jet. He turned to Alfred. ''What about you... hm...''

''Alfred.'' The American informed, a little annoyed.

''Yes. Yes. Alfred.''

''Well !'' He started excitedly. ''I was recommended to learn a third language -my second being spanish- back in Uni. So I made a list of random languages, went all _Eeny Meeny Miney Mo on it and bam ! Korean it was !'' He declared, flashing them his heroic smile. There was a short moment of awkward silence as all the others were just staring at him, unblinking. It was broken by Mathieu who started chuckling softly. At that, Alfred smiled again, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. _

_''Wow, that's incredible !'' Mathieu said, still chuckling. ''Admirable, even.'' Alfred blushed, happy._

_''I know, right !'' He laughed aloud, though truly not knowing what Mathieu meant by that._

_''Admirable ?'' Both Yong Soo and Francis repeated at the same time, questioning looks on their faces._

''Yes.'' Mathieu nodded. ''Learning a language is really hard. For Alfred to speak Korean fluently in so little time without having any particular reason to be drawn to the language... I think that's admirable.'' He smiled, looking back at Alfred. Alfred's heart skipped a beat. The more time he spent with the boy, the bigger his crush was getting. It was almost ridiculous.

''Thanks.'' He said, a little flushed. Francis arched a brow at the scene. Being a specialist in the art of l'amour, it was quite obvious to him what was going on. He smiled smugly and glanced at Yong Soo. The Asian nodded slightly in confirmation, though he seemed a lot less enthusiast about it than the Frenchman was.

''Where are we heading now ?'' Mathieu turned to Yong Soo. Alfred grunted unhappily. Every time he managed to have Mathieu's attention, the latter always ended up talking to Yong Soo instead.

''United Kingdom. We're going to meet our second most important character !'' He exclaimed proudly. Mathieu smiled, excited about meeting other members of the cast.

''He's supposed to be my partner, right ?'' Alfred asked with little interest as he looked outside the porthole.

''Exactly. Well, at first in the series, you actually won't get along very much, but you will grow to be fond of each other.'' He explained, already sensing the numerous fanfictions on the Internet, as well as the RP forums where all the fangirls will be squealing as they imagine their main protagonists at it... therefore worshipping him, the creator of the series, for being the greatest boy love genius. He breathed in deeply, realizing that he had said all that aloud in one single breath. ''Da ze !'' He cried aloud, laughing as the others stared at him.

''I can't wait to watch the show !'' Mathieu exclaimed, pretty much acting like those fangirls Yong Soo was so fond of. Alfred definitely did not share the same excitement.

''I don't get how the United States and the United Kingdom should end up together... it doesn't make sense !'' He protested. ''It would be waaayy more logical if he ended up with Ca-'' He stopped himself, blushing.

''With whom ?'' Francis asked smugly, wiggling his eyebrows.

''Huh... with... Forget it !'' He said, pouting childishly. Yong Soo bit his lip. He sincerely hoped Alfred wouldn't create too much problem. He seemed quite a bit capricious.

OoOoO

''And this is where we're going to find our Angleterre ?'' Francis asked sceptically.

''Why yes !'' He said giving the tickets to the lady at the desk. ''You're gonna meet him soon.'' He smiled.

''He's going to join us for the show ?'' Mathieu asked, walking closely beside him. He was a bit confused. Yong Soo had told them they were going to see a show, but wasn't it an odd place to meet ?

''Not quite... you'll see.'' He winked at him as they sat down at their table, earning a blush from the blond. Alfred growled.

The atmosphere in the cabaret was very cozy. The dimmed lights and the candles on the tables gave it a very intimate feeling, but the punk-ish music counter-balanced the effect, making it a perfect place to hang out, let it be for friends or for a date. Their drinks came soon enough, though Matthew was a little embarrassed as he was not allowed alcohol, unlike the rest of the crew. Before Alfred had the time to open his mouth, Francis had already beaten him into sharing his glass of whine when the waiters weren't looking. Matthew smiled gratefully.

''And you can have some of my beer too !'' Alfred added, giving his own glass to Matthew.

''I love beer, thanks.'' Matthew chuckled, taking a sip from his glass before giving it back to him.

''You're welcome.'' Alfred smiled, then stared down at where Matthew had drank from... He smiled stupidly to himself and drank heartily. _It's like an indirect kiss !_

Francis looked at the American; he seemed almost exasperated. _What an amateur._ He thought to himself.

The lights closed, leaving the candles only to light up the tables, which was about just enough so that you wouldn't confuse others' faces and classes together. On the stage at the front -barely two tables away from Yong Soo's table- the spotlights suddenly lit and smoke invaded it gradually. Two fine looking women in sexy black dresses appeared on the stage, earning whistles from a few men in the room. Francis was among them. Soon after a man -not very tall- dressed all in black with a hat and a cape fallowed. He was hiding himself with his cape. _Lame_ Alfred thought, unimpressed.

''And that...'' Yong Soo started, looking amused as the man finally revealed his face. ''is our-''

''Pfffahahaha !'' Alfred burst out laughing. ''Have you seen those eyebrows ?'' He said rudely, pointing at the man on the stage. Some chuckles fallowed -as he had been quite loud- but the man on the stage, though, didn't look so happy, but kept on for the sake of his show.

''Indeed...'' Francis said, disgusted by the sight of those caterpillar-like brows.

''...'' Yong Soo was trying his best not to laugh. ''I'd watch your tongue if I were you, Alfred. This is our United Kingdom; Arthur Kirkland.'' Alfred's laughter instantly stopped. His eyes, wide as plates, turned from Kirkland, who was blabbering something about not doing this at home, to Mathieu, who seemed to be absorbed with the show. That Kirkland... he was supposed to be his future boyfriend in the drama... _but, but I want it to be Mattie !_ He thought desperately, childishly. He turned his attention back on the stage, sulking. He could tell he wouldn't get along very well with Arthur; because of his big mouth, their first ''meeting'' hadn't been very successful... and the guy was British, anyways !

''Very well, Cathy. Now please tie me to the chair.'' Arthur instructed as the redhead lady did as told, tying the man with chains and cadnas and whatnot. The other assistant, the blond one, then blindfolded him and hid the man behind a thin white curtain. It was just enough to see the British man's shape. The spectators could see the man struggling to get out of the chains when suddenly, one of the spotlight fell right onto him. However, before they could see the spotlight crush the magician behind the curtain, cloud of smoke invaded the seen and, as the spotlight hid the chair where the Arthur had been, the latter entered the stage again from the side curtains completely unharmed. _That's such a load of crap._ Alfred thought.

''Wow ! That's amazing !'' Mathieu said, applauding with the rest of the spectators.

''Yeah, definitely !'' Alfred instantly replied, looking at the young blond. Mathieu nodded eagerly, smiling.

''You like these things too ?'' He asked politely. Alfred smiled, happy to finally have the opportunity to have at least some kind of conversation with him.

''Yeah.'' He said, laughing sheepishly. Matthew smiled.

''It's really intriguing. I like to try to find out what their tricks are... all this trickery for the eyes, those special effects...'' He trailed off, his applause dying down. ''It's really fascinating.'' Alfred blinked. He had never really looked at it this way... indeed, it was interesting to see how some magicians could think of amazing tricks. He smiled, nodding.

''I can see some of you are still sceptical.'' Arthur said to the crowd. ''You, there.'' He said, pointing directly at Alfred.

''... me ?'' Alfred asked, incredulous. _Why does everyone keep me from talking with Matt ?_ He thought frustratedly.

''Yes, come up here, will you ?'' Arthur asked, his accent as thick as his smirk. Alfred stared, still very much unimpressed by the man.

''Wow, you're so lucky !'' Mathieu whispered excitedly. Alfred turned to him, blushing slightly. Alfred jumped up from his chair and ran up on the stage, suddenly quite eager.

For Arthur's next trick, Alfred was to be his charming assistant. The trick was quite simple; in fact it was a classic. One of the female assistants brought in a large wooden box, the perfect size for a human body. Alfred stared, trying not to laugh. _Oh, come on..._ ''Please lie down.'' Arthur said as Cathy handed him one of the swords she had brought on the stage. Alfred snorted, but did as told. Only his head was still visible to the public. Once in the box, though, Alfred started to feel a little insecure... wasn't there supposed to be a hidden compartment or some shit like this ? And why would he invite a complete stranger ? Don't they make one of the assistant pass for a spectator ? Otherwise, Alfred could easily uncover his trick, whatever it was... Alfred swallowed nervously.

''Uh... you sure you haven't got the wrong guy ?'' Arthur arched a grow, recognizing the American accent; it was the same voice of whom had dared to insult his eyebrows. At this, Arhur's smirk widened. Alfred certainly didn't like it.

''I'm sure of it.'' He said, planting in the first sword through one of the holes of the wooden box. Alfred looked at the sword slowly dive in, absolutely horrified. He tried to see, to understand the trick, but he couldn't ! He could tell the swords were real ones and that they were not retractable. Alfred chocked on a gasp and quickly glued himself to the opposite side of the box, trying to evade the word. Maybe that was it; maybe he was supposed to avoid them. _He's crazy, he's crazy !_ Alfred cried out in his mind, trying not to loose in dignity in front of Mathieu. As Arthur fetched another sword, Alfred tentatively -and blindly, as he could not see inside the box- looked for the sword, carefully feeling with his hand where it should have been. There was nothing. Absolutely nothing. ''What the fuck...'' He muttered to himself, completely confused. Arthur turned to him, smiling smugly at him, but keeping quiet. He inserted another sword. This time, Alfred did not try to avoid. He clenched his eyes shut. No pain came. Nothing. More swords came. Still, he didn't feel anything. _Just... what the hell !_ There were so many swords in so many different angles... _I should be fucking dead by now ! There must be a trick... but what is it ? _Alfred understood better now, what Mathieu had meant. _Those magicians... they're amazing ! _At least, after a myriad of applauds, Arthur started to pull out the swords. Alfred was finally freed from the box of doom and shook hands with Arthur -slightly out of it- before returning to his seat. He sat down, staring at his beer.

''Were you able to figure out the trick ?'' Mathieu leaned in closer to him, whispering. Alfred blushed, staring at him.

''No...'' He said simply, still amazed. Mathieu smiled.

''Wow... his trick must be pretty damn good, eh ?''

Alfred could only nod.

OoOoO

''...and so you want me to take part in your show... mister uh... Wong ?'' Arthur said hesitantly.

''Im.'' Yong Soo corrected, trying his best to hide his annoyance. Those occidentals, sometimes...

''Oh. Pardon me.'' He said, a little embarrassed. He quickly took a sip from his cup of tea, somehow trying to hide the awkwardness. ''And why would I ?'' He asked.

All members of the parties were now in the magician's lodge, sitting on whatever they could find, seeing as there was only one chair. Yong Soo smile, taking out a piece of paper and a pen. He scribbled down something and handed it to the Englishman.

''Bloody hell !'' The sandy haird man cried out, eyes wide. ''I-is this... what I think it is ?''

''This is how you will earn if you accept.'' Yong Soo confirmed. Although Arthur lived well -he was the country's most popular magician, after all- the busyness was still risky. He definitely wasn't a wealthy man. This... this 'salary'... it was much more he could ever get even if he did a world-wide tour for two full years.

''I accept.''

Alfred pouted. His plan 'convince-Yong-Soo-to-pair-him-up-with-Mattie-after-Arthur-refused-the-role' had just failed.

* * *

**AN:**

I hoped you enjoyed this chapter ! There will be other counties coming, of course -Russia, Italy, Germany...- but I won't make an introduction for each of them. I just did for these four since they'll be the most important characters.

Whether or not Arthur is a real magician is for you to decide. ;)

**PLEASE REVIEW PLEASE REVIEW PLEASE REVIEW PLEASE REVIEW PLEASE REVIEW PLEASE REVIEW PLEASE REVIEW**


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